A beloved family is saying goodbye to Jasper, and their friends are throwing a bittersweet going-away party.

“There will be a lot of tears,” said organizer Twila Paterson. “There already have been.”

Of the many losses wreaked on the community in the July 2024 Jasper wildfire, the destruction of the rental home where three Jasper sisters and their families lived is particularly heartbreaking.

Charlene, Ruby Ann and Daphne Tio Tio—daughters of Facundo and Roberta, two of the first Filipino community members to arrive in Jasper in the 1990s—are well-known to Jasperites. Through their longstanding work in community institutions—the Jasper Dental Clinic and the Wildflowers Childcare among them—the Tio Tio sisters have been part of many local residents’ lives. And through their devotion to their church, their music and their familes and friends, the Tio Tios have become an integral part of Jasper.

“They’re helpful, they’re caring, they’re just very good people,” Paterson said.

For Charlene, however, the hardships wrought by the wildfire are too challenging to overcome. Too many unknowns remain here. While her sisters and parents will stay in Jasper, Charlene and her husband Joeren have made the difficult decision to leave town for Edmonton, where they’ll purse a more stable housing situation.

“I have no other options,” Tio-Tio has said. “I’m so sad to leave all my friends and the other families that live here.”

Before they go, well-wishers will have the chance to show Chalene and her family their love. Paterson is organizing a farewell party for Friday, June 20, at 5 p.m. at the Jasper Legion. She hopes community members will drop in to give Charlene and her family a hug, but also reflect on the downstream effects of disaster.  

“The continuation of loss from this fire is not over,” Paterson said. “It doesn’t just end with a house. When people are forced out, those friends, those support networks are gone. That affects the whole community.”

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com